Becoming a Witch
by geo-girl-223
Summary: When Hermione's son receives his letter to Hogwarts Hermione learns of the magical world, a world denied her, a world where she can finally feel at home.
1. Chapter 1 - You're a wizard

**I love reading fanfiction and I am a big fan of the Dramoine category. The idea for this story has been in my head for a while, I am glad I am finally getting it written. The characters in this story are not my own. **

"You're a wizard, Joshua" Professor McGonagall told Hermione's son. While that was one of the most bizarre statements she had ever heard, it put her at ease. Now parts of Hermione's life were starting to make sense, while raising quite a few questions.

"So this school Hogwarts, you want my son to attend, why was I not enrolled?" Hermione inquired.

"Well, we can only enroll individuals who possess magic of course."

"But, Mum can do magic too. She has been teaching me how to control mine too." Joshua piped in.

"Is that true my dear?"

"Well yes," Hermione replied, "I had similar bursts of accidental magic as you described. As I got older I worked to be able to contain it, and eventually I learned to do a few things on command."

"Would you mind showing me?"

Hermione, noticing that the Professor had finished her first cup of tea, levitated the pot, cream and sugar to fix her new cup, finishing by levitating the fresh cup to the elderly witch.

"Well that is extraordinary, self-taught wandless non-verbal magic. I have never seen such a thing! Oh how I would have loved to have taught you. Are you sure you have never met a witch or wizard?"

"No," _well maybe, _Hermione added, glancing at her son. "But this brings us back to my original question, why was I not enrolled?"

With that McGonagall put down her tea, shifting in her seat in preparation of the discussion to come.

"The quick answer is Lord Voldemort."

"Oh this sounds exciting"

"Don't interrupt Joshua," his mother warned.

"You see," the McGonagall continued, "About the time you were born Hermione a dark evil wizard had come to power."

"Voldemort?" Joshua asked.

"Yes. Voldemort was corrupted by his desire for power. He was raised among muggles, which is our term for non-magical people, and unfortunately he had tragic childhood that led to his hatred of muggles. When he joined the wizarding world he associated with those we called purebloods. Now there were some in our world who believed that magic should only be taught to those who were pureblooded, or who could trace their magical lineage back for generations. Voldemort and these purebloods took over our world, began killing muggleborns, that's what we call people like you, who have non-magical parents. While he was in power it was not safe for muggleborns to be a part of our world."

"How long ago was Voldemort defeated?" Hermione asked

"Ten years."

"Ten years? Why am I just finding out about this now?"

"After Voldemort was killed we began tracking magical usage in the muggle world. Thankfully we had destroyed the enchantments that allow us to track magic usage and had hidden away the books on how the enchantments were made before Voldemort took over our ministry. Otherwise I am sure there would be no muggleborns at all. We were able to restore the enchantments about five years ago, and while we saw that magic had been used in your flat, we had wrongly attributed it all to you Joshua."

"Are there others like me," inquire Hermione, "who have learned to use magic on their own?"

"I'm afraid not Hermione. You see when a witch or wizard goes through adolescence their power begins to change, they become more powerful. You are lucky. We have noticed a lack of muggleborns your age Hermione. Uncontrolled magic is a dangerous thing. As we have been seeking out muggleborns since Voldemort's demise we have found, more often than not, tragic accidents had befallen them. Most we believe have died as a result of magical accidents, those who did survive were generally living in isolation, their magic uncontrolled and chaotic."

"But this war, will it be safe for my son to enter your world?"

"Come on mum, I can take care of myself."

"The war is over." McGonagall stated, "The followers of Voldemort have been arrested, and most importantly most of the children and young adults who lived through the war are determined to let go of their prejudices. Now I know you say you have learned to control your abilities, but I can't stress enough how lucky you are. Hogwarts is the best place for Joshua to be. It is a safe place for him to learn to control his power, and he will learn to do the most amazing things. Your magic, while an amazing feat, is still very rudimentary. Now Hermione, think back, is there honestly not a time when your magic got out of control?"

Hermione looked down at her hands, "I suppose you are right." She whispered thinking of her own tragedy, but quickly looked up and smiled, not wanting Joshua to question the hurt in her eyes. "So Joshua, what do you think? You want to go train to be a wizard?"

"Really, you are going to let me go? Wow, soon I will be able to do everything you can do, probably even more. Think about all the stuff I am going to learn about."

Hermione laughed at her son's glee. "You will have to teach me then."

"I don't know, you would probably pester me for additional homework or something. You're a bit of a nerd Mum." Joshua joked, ignoring the look his mother was giving him.

"Actually we should arrange for a tutor for you Hermione. You have every right to learn about all of this as Joshua, and I am sure you will excel with just a bit of guidance. Now if there are no more questions it is time for me to get going. I have arranged for a wizard named Harry Potter to meet with you on Saturday. He will take you to get the supplies needed for school."

"Alright, while I do have some questions I think I will save them for Harry then. Thank you for coming and… and… well I guess changing our lives."


	2. Chapter 2 - Confessions

**I love reading fanfiction and I am a big fan of the Dramoine category. The idea for this story has been in my head for a while, I am glad I am finally getting it written. The characters in this story are not my own. **

"So Mum, you are really going to let me go away to school?" Joshua asked at dinner that evening. His excitement over everything he had learned that day had filled Hermione's heart with joy.

"Yes I am."

"I thought for sure you were going to tell that witch that you could teach me on your own."

Hermione hummed a response while staring at her food in contemplation. After a few more bites of her meal she looked up smiling when she saw her sons wavy blond hair was once again in his face.

"Joshua, there is something I need to tell you." Hermione said as she pushed her plate away from her.

"What Mum?" He replied as he finished his last bite.

"You know how I told you your grandparents were killed in a fire?"

"Yes"

"Well it's a bit more complicated than that." Hermione said staring unseeingly at her hands. "I was only a sophomore in high school when it happened. You see I had been in my chemistry class earlier that day, and in my excitement of completing the assignment correctly I had accidentally burst one of the beakers."

"Accidentally, you mean with magic?" Joshua asked, shocked to hear of his mother making a mistake.

"Yes. Which lead to an angry teacher, mocking classmates, and a zero on an assignment I was proud of completing correctly. I usually didn't tell my parents when I did magic anymore at that point. It just led to hushed conversations and concerned glances." Hermione took a deep breath before continuing. "That evening after they had gone to bed I let my anger take over my emotions. I was angry at myself for the accident, angry at my parents that I couldn't be myself around them, angry at the world that I had this power I did not understand and could not control."

"But you're so good at controlling your magic"

"I wasn't always. Like Professor McGonagall said, uncontrolled magic is dangerous. After my parents had gone to bed that night I had gone to the kitchen to make some hot chocolate, to try and calm myself down. I turned on the gas to the stove, and reflecting over the events in of the day I had stomped my foot in frustration, which caused a burst of energy to escape me and an explosion on the stove. Things around the kitchen were catching fire, and in my panic and distress over what I had done I caused the flames to grow larger. By the time I realized that I would not be able to control the fire and I needed to get my parents out of the house, the fire had spread to the stairs. I ran outside and yelled below their window that they needed to wake up and get out, but it was too late." Hermione paused as she blinked back the tears. Her voice barely a whisper as she continued, "Joshua, I can't tell you how fast that house burned down. I'm surprised I made it out in time; I'm surprised I didn't burn down the whole neighborhood.

"Those witches and wizards that Professor McGonagall mentioned, living in isolation, I am sure every one of them has a tragic story to tell. It's not hard to imagine how someone might die in an accident from uncontrolled magic." Hermione reached for her sons shoulder. "I don't want you to have a story like mine. That's why I want you to go to this school."

"Why did you never tell me before?" Joshua asked, wide eyed with shock.

"I didn't want you to be afraid of yourself or your magic, or me for that matter. I didn't want to admit that I had killed my parents. I shut down after that, I was an empty shell for a while. That is when I gained control of my magic. When my parents died I had stopped having magical accidents for a while because I had stopped feeling any emotions for a while. After that I knew I had to learn how to control my magic. I went for walks through the countryside, and during these walks I would try and duplicate some of the magic I had done. As I learned how to do some things on my own I started having less accidental magic."

"I guess magic isn't our own special secret anymore," His voice forlorn.

"I guess not, but considering there is a whole world for us to discover I think I will be okay with that. Now," Hermione stood levitating the dishes to the sink, "let's go look at that letter of yours again."

They walk across their small flat. Hermione was a social worker, providing support and resources for single and teenage mothers. It did not provide much, but it was enough for the two of them. Hermione liked being able to help others, especially those in need like she once was. Having a baby the summer before she turned 17 had put an end to her schooling. Looking around her flat there was not much to indicate she was not living in isolation. A few picture of her parents that her aunt and given her, and then pictures of Joshua throughout the years was all she had. For crying out loud she did not even have a picture of her son's father to show him. She was never very good at making friends, her extended family had shunned her for getting pregnant at such a young age, and while she may have neighbors, really Joshua was the only person of importance in her life. McGonagall had said she was lucky, she did not feel it though and could not help but wonder what her life could have been, should have been if it were not for this Voldemort wizard. Try as she might she could not stop the resentment she had been feeling all day.

"Mum," her son's timid voice came beside her as they sat down on the sofa, "Do you think there is some magic out there that would help me find my dad?"

"I don't know Joshua, but I wouldn't get my hopes up."


	3. Chapter 3 - Brightest witch of her age

**I was pleasantly surprised to see that my story is still getting traffic. I was hoping to get Draco to make an appearance in this chapter, but Harry's story took over. Next time. **

**The characters in this story are not my own. **

Saturday had finally arrived. Item around the house were shaking due to Joshua's excitement. When the knock at the door finally came he ran across the flat to answer the door. The moment the door opened Hermione could feel a change in the air. It was the same feeling she had felt when Professor McGonagall had arrived earlier that week, and the same feeling she had felt with Joshua's father. Was it possible that he was a wizard?

"You must be Harry Potter" she said with a smile as she walked to the door. She was greeted with a warm smile and instantly liked him despite his otherwise imposing demeanor. He looked sharp in his unusual suit, and with a wand a knife holstered at his hip, Hermione could tell he was someone to be reckoned with.

"Yes I am. It's a pleasure to meet you both."

"Please, step inside a moment while we fetch our things."

"Thank you. I must say Hermione, news of you and your accomplishments have caused quite a stir. Minerva was very excited to tell me all about you."

"She was?" Hermione replied as she gathered her purse and keys, "Joshua, shoes."

"Oh right," he replied racing to his room.

"Yes she was. And let me tell you, she doesn't get excited very often. She was always very stern at Hogwarts. I was always a bit afraid of her."

"Really, I quite liked her."

"Yes, well, try being eleven years old and late for your first class." Harry said with a grin.

"Late for class on your first day," Hermione scolded, "Harry that is just unacceptable. I would have never been late on the first day, or any day for that matter."

"I can see how you two would have got along. Minerva tells me we would have been in the same year at Hogwarts had you been able to attend. It seems like you would have been a good friend to have back then." Harry said, glancing at his wrist watch.

"I'm ready." Joshua called as he walked back into the room.

"So Joshua," Harry said, while reaching into his pocket to remove a comb, "I was just telling your mom here what a stir she has caused for the magical community."

"Really?"

"Yes," he glanced at his watch again "We starting checking in on muggleborns with young parents like your mom, just to make sure there is no one else like Hermione here. There was even a news article written about her."

"What?" Hermione asked, slightly horrified.

"Yes," Harry replied, twirling the comb around, "What is it they said, 'she is sure to be the brightest witch of her age,' now I need the two of you to hold onto this comb with me."

Joshua immediately reached out his hand, only to be pulled back by his mother.

"What is that going to do?" inquired Hermione.

"It will transport us to the entrance to Diagon Alley. Now, please take hold, it is much better than apparating which is what I will do if you don't take hold in the next… ten seconds." Harry said glancing at his watch again.

"Come on mum." Joshua grabbed hold.

"Oh all right" Hermione also grabbed the comb just in time to feel herself being pulled by the navel and whisked away, once the spinning stopped Hermione found herself in heap next to her son, with Harry grinning over them.

"Much better than traveling by car if you ask me," laughed Harry. He reached into his pocket again and pulled out two vials. "Here, drink this; it will help with the nausea."

"Thanks," Hermione said as she reached for the vial, amazed when she did feel better. "I'm not sure I agree with you on your preference for travel."

"Mum, stop being so boring, look around, we're somewhere else." Hermione finally took in her surroundings, they were in a small alleyway, a door in one direction and a brick wall in the other.

"If it makes you feel better I will be sending you home by car so that you will know the way back, but Hermione, you need to make up for lost time if you are going to live up to your new title as the brightest witch of her age. Now," Harry pulled out his wand touching a brick on the wall, "Welcome to Diagon Alley."

Any annoyance Hermione was feeling towards Harry melted away the moment the wall opened up. She could feel the energy, the magic of the place. It felt like home. Looking towards her son she saw the excitement she felt reflected in his eyes. "Let's go" they said together.

After a few minutes of walking around, taking in the sights Harry piped in, "Now, we will need to get two of everything so Hermione will have a set of her own while you are at school Joshua. Let's start with wands."

The Grangers follow Harry down the alley way to Ollivanders Wand Shop.

"Hello Ollivander," Harry called to an apparently empty shop as they entered.

After some shuffling in the back an old wizard appeared with a smile, "Ah, Auror Potter always a pleasure to see you. Here with a new Hogwarts student I presume."

"Yes I am," Harry said, giving Joshua a push forward.

"And who might you be?" Ollivander inquired.

"Joshua Granger sir."

"Now let's see," Ollivander said while looking over Joshua with a contemplative look, eventually walking back into the shop while muttering to himself.

"Mr. Potter," Joshua asked "What is it he called you, Auror?"

"Ah," Harry exclaimed, "well that is my job title. An auror is member of a special unit of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. We investigate crimes related to dark magic and apprehend dark wizards. You can think of me as a police officer. Also, you can call me Harry if you like."

"OK Harry, does that mean you helped defeat Voldemort?"

"Oh Joshua, Harry would have been too young for that." Hermione said.

"Too young maybe," Ollivander interjected as he returned to the front of the store, "but Harry here was the one who ultimately defeated him."

Joshua looked at Harry with amazement, while Hermione gave him a baffled look.

"Yes, I did defeat him," Harry said, his confident demeanor diminishing as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"But," sputter Hermione, "How... Why... That's just, but you were still a child."

"He was of age; a wizard becomes an adult at 17. Now Joshua," Ollivander said handing a wand to the boy, "give this a swish."

Joshua did as he was asked, sending a row of wands flying off the shelf.

"Hmm, let's see." Ollivander said taking the wand back, and turned to disappear among the shelves, calling back over his shoulder, "Now Harry, no need to be modest, its best they hear about you from you."

At the two expectant looks from the Grangers Harry sighed and began. "When Voldemort first came to power there was a group of wizards called the Order of the Phoenix that fought against him. My parents were a part of that group and were killed during a battle. I was raised as a muggle by my aunt and uncle, like you Joshua I didn't know I was a wizard until I was eleven."

"But you said your parents fought against Voldemort, how do you have muggle relatives." Hermione asked.

"I am what you would call a half-blood. My mother was a muggleborn, my father was a pureblood."

"So we have purebloods, half-bloods what do they refer to muggleborns blood as?" Hermione inquired.

"The prejudiced purebloods call them mudbloods. And I honestly think that is the first time I have said that term out loud. And while we're on the topic, there are also the blood traitors, those who fought against Voldemort and supported equality for muggleborns."

"How were you allowed to go to Hogwarts if you parents fought against Voldemort?"

"We were tolerated at best. And by allowing us into Hogwarts we were able to be monitored and subjected to anti-muggle propaganda."

"Here," Ollivander interrupted, handing another wand to Joshua. A broken lamp later and he wandered away again.

"What I don't understand," Hermione stated, "is why Voldemort was in power for so long."

"He was only in power for two years the first time he took control. Albus Dumbledore was able to defeat and kill him, but a few years later he came back. And before you ask I will not discuss how he did that, let's just say he committed the darkest of evil acts to ensure his immortality. When he returned to power most people were so fearful that they would not rise up against him. Albus was ousted and went into hiding; he spent the next decade or so figuring out what Voldemort had done and how to defeat him, a difficult task when on the run and very few willing to help. The summer before my seventh year at Hogwarts Albus began to make his move, destroying Voldemorts means for immortality. When Voldemort discovered what was happening the world became dangerous for anyone who was not a staunch support of him. A lot of people went on the run that summer. I joined the re-organized Order of the Phoenix and fought with others to defeat Voldemort, I just happened to be the one to give the final blow."

"A lot of legends and folklore has developed in regards to Harry. Savior of the wizarding world they like to call him." Harry grimaced at the title. "Now," Ollivander handed another wand to the boy, "third times the charm they say." This time a breeze could be felt in the room and a pleasant glow surrounded the young wizard. "Well there you have it. Hawthorne with dragon heartstring, 10 ¾, supple. The wand chooses the wizard. Now Ms. Granger do you have wizarding money?"

"Actually," Harry said "Hermione here will need a wand as well."

"Well, that means you are that young witch everyone is so excited about."

"Yes, she is the brightest witch of her age." Harry said.

"Could you quit calling me that, Savior of the wizarding world?"

"Alright, alright. I apologize." Harry held his hands up in defeat.

"Hermione did you say? I am quite excited to see what wand will take to you as you learned to channel magic without one. Yes, most interesting." Ollivander began muttering again and disappeared.

"So mum, what's it like to be famous."

"Oh hush you. Now come here at let me take a look at this wand."

Joshua proudly showed his wand to his mother. "So Harry, how do you use a wand?" He asked.

"The wand helps you channel your magic, then there are spells and wand movements that you need to learn. For instance," he removed the wand from the holster on his hip, "Reparo." The Grangers watched in amazement as the broken lamp fixed itself.

"That would be handy. We usually just break things with magic. Can you show me how to do that?" Joshua asked brandishing his wand and knocking over a vase, "Opps." He muttered lowering his wand.

"I see you don't just use magic to break things. You will have to wait for Hogwarts to start practicing spells though. Underaged magic is forbidden outside of Hogwarts, and I have a feeling your mother here is a stickler for the rules."

"I am" Hermione said giving her son a stern look.

"You on the other hand could give it a try Hermione. That is if Joshua is willing to let you use his wand."

Joshua, eager to see more magic was quick to hand his mother the wand.

"Take the wand and give it a flick towards the vase while you say the incantation."

Hermione raised the wand and gave it a flick toward the vase, taking a step back in shock when it repaired itself.

"Non-verbal on your first try, and with another's wand no less." Ollivander smiled as he returned with an armful of wands.

"I just said the spell in my head." Hermione exclaimed, still staring at the vase.

"I have a new theory, I believe any number of wands would work for you, but I want to try this one. Vine with dragon heartstring, 10 ¾, brittle."

"Brittle?" Hermione asked as she reached for the wand. She took a deep breath as she felt the magic of the wand accept her, the wand almost felt like an extension of her.

"As I said the wand chooses the witch. Brittle refers to the wand willingness to work with another. Others will find it hard to use your wand, while your son's supple wand is more willing preform for another. I find the brittle ones to only work with those who possess strong magic, or a strong, be it good or bad, character trait. Now you Hermione I feel will be too modest like Harry here, and I for one think they are not far off the mark when the called you the brightest witch of her age"


	4. Chapter 4 - Reunion

**I was pleased to see a couple of positive reviews in regards to the English. This is the first time I have really written anything since my master's thesis eight years ago. The last time I can remember writing something that wasn't a technical paper was sixth grade.**

**The characters in this story are not my own. **

After a full day of shopping, the Grangers and Harry made their last stop at Flourish and Blotts.

"Harry," Joshua whispered, "we may be here a while, Mum really likes books."

"I heard that." Hermione admonished.

"What, it's true." He cried.

Giving him a look Hermione stepped inside the shop, followed by Joshua and Harry.

"Hermione, if it's alright with you, after we get the text books I could take Joshua over to the joke shop while you look around." Harry suggested. Joshua's eyes lit up in eager excitement as he looked for his mother's approval. "The shop is just across the way, I'm sure you saw it as we passed."

"Please mum?" Joshua begged.

"Alright, come back when you are done. Now, where are those text books Harry?"

With two sets of the first year textbooks on hold at the counter, and Harry and Joshua off to the joke shop, Hermione finally took the time to take in her surroundings. She slowly walked down the aisles reading book titles and running her finger along the spines as she went. With whole sections of the shop dedicated to potions, charms, ancient runes and so on she hardly knew where to start. She could feel the pressure of making up for lost time, as Harry had said when they first arrived in Diagon Alley earlier that day. There was obviously so much she did not know, and if there is something Hermione Granger hated, it was not knowing.

Now in the history section of the store a book entitled _Hogwarts, A History_ caught her eye. As she was about to send her one and only son off to this school in a little over a week, learning everything she could about the school seemed imperative. Taking the tome off the shelf she began flipping thru the pages as she moseyed her way to the next section of the store.

Turning down a random aisle she finally glanced up as she noticed someone in the way. With a gasp, she nearly dropped her book, causing the man in front of her to look up.

"It's you." She whispered when their eyes met. She would recognize him anywhere, what with his nearly white blonde hair, stormy grey eyes, and aristocratic facial features. Seeing him again she could finally pinpoint the features her son got from him. He had changed of course; twelve years would do that to a person. He no longer had the lanky leanness of a teenage boy, his body and face had filled out, softening some of the angles. His clothing was similar to what he wore back then, she now recognized them for the wizard robes they were. "I honestly thought I would never see you again."

They started at each other for a few moments before Hermione felt compelled to fill the silence. "Pretty shocking huh? I guess I now know why I had such a hard time finding you. You wouldn't be in any muggle records if you were a wizard would you? Of course I didn't know you were a wizard then. I have had my suspicions since professor McGonagall came last week, and now I know for sure. You're still speechless, but then this must be a bigger shock for you, I on the other hand have spent the last week trying to finally sort out the mystery of you, and here you are." She finally stopped, blushing as she reflected on that little speech she just gave.

The stone faced expression finally left his face leaving a cocky grin in its place. "Left that big of an impression on you did I? All this time and you're still thinking about me?" The angry glare from Hermione only made his grin grow wider. "But that leaves the question of why you're here?"

Hermione nervously glanced everywhere but him. She had no intention of keeping their sons existence a secret, he had every right to know, but she found herself unprepared for how to have this conversation. In the end it turned out she did not need to break the news.

"Wait you said McGonagall stopped by, but that means…" he trailed off. Hermione glanced up at him again and was pleased to see the smug grin had been wiped from his face. Her pleasure quickly faded and her heart raced as she saw him doing the math in his head. When his eyes grew wide she could not help the smirk that grew on her face.

"You left me with more than just impressions that summer."

A stunned silence hung between them.

"I'm a…" he trailed off again, unable to form the word. His face grew pale.

"Yes, you're a father."

After a few moments of stunned silence he began to glance around. "Well, where is he? She? Merlin's beard!"

After taking a moment to process the new exclamation Hermione replied, "A wizard named Harry Potter has been helping us today, Joshua and Harry are at some joke shop."

"Ah yes, Saint Potter, always volunteering to help out." He said with a sneer.

"You don't like him?"

"I don't like how everyone seems to think the sun shines out of his arse."

"Well he doesn't seem to appreciate the praise either."

"Wouldn't want to ruin that perfect image with an ego now would he? So you know a bit about the war then? I was of the understanding that they tried to leave that in the past when introducing muggleborns to the wizarding world."

Hermione was flabbergasted. "How could they not let muggleborns know they were entering a world where people were prejudiced to the point of war against their very existence?"

"We weren't prejudice to the point of war." He ground out, his expression turning dark. "The Dark Lord wanted power and control, when he joined the wizarding world that power lay in the hands of the wealthy pureblood elite. He adopted their cause as his own and began to manipulate and terrorize everyone around him until his tyranny had twisted our world until it was a shadow of what it could be, of what it is today. So no, we don't want your first impressions of our world to be of fear and terror. A lot has changed in the past ten years. We've changed and grown, and your Saint Potter with his band of jolly Aurors takes care of anyone who hasn't."

"You called him the Dark Lord, everyone else called him Voldemort" Hermione stated timidly.

"Yeah, well old habits die hard."

"That must mean you were one of his followers, you're one of those purebloods." Her fury grew with each accusation. "You! You're the reason I wasn't able to attend Hogwarts, why I grew up fearful of my magic, why I…" she stopped before she could admit out loud what happened to her parents.

"I'm a blood-traitor if you want to get technical about it. And you just proved the point." He took a step closer, glaring down at her. "You have known about all of this for what, a week? And already you're pointing fingers and placing blame where it doesn't belong. I was still a child when all of this happened and was every bit the victim you were." His breathing was heavy. "So you're that witch. I must say you don't seem very bright to me, and had I known you were a mudblood that summer I would have been faced with the moral dilemma of whether or not to kill you on the spot."

Time seemed to stand still as they stared at each other, blood boiling.

"Draco," their standoff was interrupted by a female voice at the end of the aisle, "we should go now."

"Excuse me," Draco said, stone faced once again as he brushed past Hermione.

Hermione stood there in shock as she listened to his footsteps fade away. When she finally turned around he saw Draco with an elegantly dressed woman on his arm. She followed on stunted legs and watched them walk to the front of the shop. Before they reached the door it opened and in walked her son and Harry. Horrified of what might happen she could only watch her feet glued to the floor. Draco froze as he looked at his son for the first time. After an obviously awkward exchange between Draco and Harry her son broke away from the group, having finally spotted her calling out "Mum."

Hermione tore her eyes away from Draco to look at her approaching son. With her best attempt at a happy smile she looked at the new trinkets he pulled from his bag for her inspection. Looking up once again she locked eyes with Draco, holding his expressionless gaze for only a moment before he turned and left.


	5. Chapter 5 - Letters

**The Harry Potter universe belongs to J.K. Rowling. **

Hermione admonished herself for her behavior towards Draco. She could not help but wonder how different her life could have been. Surely had there been no war her parents would still be alive, and unfortunately she jumped at the opportunity to push the blame of her parent's death onto someone else. She knew prejudice and war existed all over the world, but to realize how it had impacted her life and the endless what ifs she kept thinking of were becoming a burden. Draco was right; she was casting blame where it did not belong. He had called himself a victim too. While she had her tragedy to live with, he had lived through a war. She realized that she really had no idea what life was like for him. When they had met as teenagers she was mourning the loss of her parents, and while they had never discussed the problems in their lives, she had known he was suffering from something as well. Their mutual grief was part of what brought them together.

She knew she had to apologize. Glancing at her clock she saw it was seven in the morning. Knowing she would not be able to get anymore sleep she got up and went to the kitchen to brew herself a rare cup of coffee, and pen a letter of apology.

_Draco,_

_It was wonderful to see you again, despite how horribly our chance encounter turned out. I am sorry for how our meeting went yesterday; it was not how I had envisioned meeting you again. I am writing to apologize to you for how I treated you yesterday. You are correct that I unfairly made accusations towards you. I am truly sorry. I am still very ignorant of the war and the wizarding world and in the future I will seek understanding first. It has been a difficult week as I wonder how different my life could have been had I had the same opportunities that Joshua has been given. I will need to remember and be grateful that there those who made great sacrifices so that he could have these opportunities I could not._

_I would also like to apologize for not properly introducing you to your son. If it is amenable to you I would like to introduce you to him before he departs for Hogwarts. It has been one our greatest desires that he could have the chance to meet you._

_Regards,_  
_Hermione_

Satisfied with her letter she got her owl Frost out of his cage. "Harry tells me you can deliver this to anyone I tell you to. You're such a tiny thing I feel bad asking you to." He gave her an almost indignant hoot in reply. Laughing she continued "I see you are eager to prove me wrong. Alright then, will you deliver this to Draco Malfoy for me?" Frost playfully nipped at Hermione's finger as she tied the letter to his leg. As soon as she opened the window he was off.

After closing the window she heard Joshua shuffling down the hall. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and collect her thoughts. She had to tell him what happened. She did not want to keep secrets from him, especially about his father. And if Draco turned out to want nothing to do with them, then they would deal with that blow when it came. But first she would fix her son breakfast; she only had a little more time left to spoil him before he would leave her for school.

"Hey sweetheart," Hermione said as Joshua walked into the kitchen, "what would you like for breakfast. I'll fix you something."

"Mum, don't call me that." Joshua whined.

"I am you mother and this is my home, I will call you what I like." Hermione teased with a grin, "Now, what would you like for breakfast before I change my mind and give you oatmeal again?"

Johsua gave a petulant pout before dropping the subject in favor of a good breakfast. "How about pancakes, eggs and bacon?"

"Alright, will you set the table while I get started on the food?" Hermione requested as she gathered the ingredients she would need. After turning the stove on and opening the package of bacon, she began to levitate individual pieces onto the pan, not wanting to get her hand dirty with the grease. The sound of sizzling bacon filled the room.

"Do you think that would be easier with your wand?" Joshua asked while digging through the silverware drawer.

"I don't know, regardless I don't know what incantation I would say. I would have to start reading those spell books to see if I can find something." Books, Hermione could not believe it; she had spent so much time agonizing over what had happened with Draco she had neglected to look over her new books.

"I know it" Joshua said as he rushed out of the room, coming back a minute later with a book in his hand. "It's right here, the first spell in the charms book. _Wingardium Leviosa_."

"You read your books?" Hermione asked, somewhat stunned. While Joshua seemed to like books when he had to read them for school, but he had never willingly read a book on his own, much to Hermione's chagrin.

Joshua gave a shrug, avoiding his mother's eyes, "I wanted to learn." he said shyly. Hermione's heart soared with joy at those words, but not wanting to embarrass her son further she moved to stand next to her son and look at the book.

"Lets see," Hermione murmured as she studied the pronunciation and wand movements on the page. Raising her wand she mimicked the movements while thinking the incantation. They watched with pleasure as an egg levitated before them. "Now what?" Hermione asked as she lowered her wand, causing the egg to crash into the bowl below. After sharing a laugh with her son, Hermione moved to dump the broken egg in the sink.

"Wait mum," Joshua said, "you can repair it."

"That's right I can," Hermione smiled as she waved her wand over the broken egg, watching in amazement as it patched itself together. Preforming two spells so close together Hermione noticed that they felt different to her, almost how two foods would smell and taste different to the senses. Filing that knowledge into her brain for later she went about preparing their breakfast, without her wand for now.

After their breakfast had been enjoyed, and the dishes put away Hermione decided it was time to tell her son about Draco. She knew he would be upset and lock himself in his room, but at least now he would not be upset and hungry.

"Joshua," Hermione said, sitting on the couch next to her son. Not being one to beat around the bush she pushed on. "I met your father yesterday at the book store."

Looking at her sons shocked and wide eyes she laughed. "I was shocked too. Turns out he was a wizard, which explains why we were never able to find him. You passed by him too, though I'm not sure you took notice. When you and Harry came back into the store, he was the blond wizard that was standing by the door. Did he say anything to you?"

"No, Harry started to say something, but he told Harry he didn't want his pity or condolences and that was all I heard." Joshua looked down at his hands in contemplation. "Did he know who I was?" He asked in a small voice.

Hermione's heart broke, "Yes."

"Was that lady with him his wife? Do you think he doesn't want us around?" He looked at her with tears threating to fall from his eyes.

"I don't know who that woman was, or what Draco's thoughts were, but he did seem genuinely excited to meet you when I first told him about you." Hermione told him, wrapping her arm around him in an effort to comfort him. "We got into an argument, I'm afraid he may have been still angry when he saw you. I'm sorry you did not have a chance to meet him."

Joshua looked at his mother, his eyes full of hurt and questions. Sighing Hermione continued, "While we were talking I learned that he was a pureblood, I'm assuming his family were once followers of Voldemort."

"So he does hate us?"

"No, I don't think so." Hermione looked down, ashamed. "He said he was a blood traitor, which means he must have sided on Harry and Dumbledore's side of the war, but I had already wrongfully blamed him for what had happened to muggleborns as a result of the war."

"If he didn't hate us before, I'm sure he hates us now." Joshua bit out; tearing himself from his mother grasp he ran to his room and slammed the door. Hermione let him go, knowing it was best to let him calm down on his own before speaking to him again. After shedding a few tears of her own, Hermione saw her son's charms book open on the coffee table and decided to try a few spells before attempting to speak with him again.

Turning to a random page Hermione read about a coloring charm. Grabbing her wand and some paper from the kitchen, Hermione raised her wand and changed the paper from white to green. Curious about what she felt casting spells earlier that morning Hermione levitated the paper, noticing the different feel of the spells. Setting down her wand, Hermione levitated the paper without her wand, noting that the feel of the spell was the same whether she cast it with her wand and the incantation in her head or simply concentrating on what she wanted to have happen as she had done in the past. Picking up her wand again she changed the paper to pink, then orange, then blue. Once she felt she was familiar enough with the feeling, or flavor of the spell, she put down her wand. Concentrating on the feeling of the coloring spell and what she wanted to have happen she changed the paper to purple. Smiling with excitement she moved to the curtains, changing the neutral tan to a rich blue. Staring at the white walls their landlord would not permit them to paint with a sly grin she changed them to a deep red, but after deciding the color was too intense, she opted for a soft green.

Pleased that she was able to change the color of the entire living room at once, and knowing she could repair anything she broke, Hermione decided to test her limits with levitating. She started with the couch, which she had levitated before to help with vacuuming, she then added the coffee table, followed by the décor on the mantle, and turning about the room she added objects as she went. About half of the room was levitated when a tap at the window broke her concentration and everything came crashing down.

"Mum, what's wrong." Joshua called in panic, rushing from his room, and stopping short, his red rimmed eyes opened wide as he took in the wreckage. Hermione still stunned, just looked at the mess she had caused. Another tap at the window pulled her out of her stupor and she looked up to see that her owl Frost had returned.

"You sent an owl?" Joshua asked.

"Yes," Hermione replied as she carefully stepped to the window. Seeing two elegant looking scrolls attached to Frost's foot, one addressed to her and another for her son, Hermione finally felt hope that Joshua would have a father figure in his life. "I wrote to your father to apologize this morning. It looks like he wrote you a letter." She said, once again carefully crossing the room to hand him his letter. With excitement in his eyes he turned to go back to his room and read his letter in private. Hermione prayed the letter contained good news as she watched him go. Once again looking at the mess she made, she was happy to note that the couch remained intact and free of debris. Walking over she sat down and opened her letter. Setting aside what looked to be a folded newspaper clipping she read:

_Hermione,_

_Despite what I implied yesterday I have often thought of you as well. To tell you the truth that summer with you saved my life. I won't explain further here, but I included an article from today's paper that shows how my life could have ended if it weren't for you._

_I'm sorry I did not get to properly meet our son. I had gone to the bookstore to procrastinate my trip to Azkaban, (see article) and I could not delay any longer._

_As for our argument, we can just forget it happened. I work as a healer at St. Mungo's and have worked with some of the muggleborns who, like you, were left without guidance because of the war. I know some of the horrors caused by uncontrolled accidental magic. I should be more understanding, especially to the mother of my child._

_I would like to meet our son. We could have dinner tonight at my Manor. I'm afraid I shouldn't take you out in public at the moment (see article) and while I am sure you could recommend a good muggle establishment, I would like to give Joshua some family heirlooms and can't do so with muggles around. With your permission I can call in a favor connect your fireplace to the floo network today? That way I can stop by your home to set some wards. Please send your address with your reply to dinner if that is ok._

_Regards,_  
_Draco_

Setting the letter aside with smile and a sigh of relief. She eagerly picked up the news article, curious as to what it could contain.

_**Draco Malfoy's Last Words**  
By Rita Skeeter_

_The execution by demeantors kiss of Lucius Malfoy, right hand man of You-Know-Who, thought to be a somber affair turned out to be anything but. The kiss took place last night at Azkaban and was attend by Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius Malfoy, Draco's now former fiancé Astoria Greengrass, and the Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt._

_We are told by Daphne Nott, sister of Astoria Greengrass, that when asked if anyone had any last words Draco informed Lucius that he had a half-blood son. As you can imagine Lucius Malfoy did not take the news well. Prejudiced pureblood Death Eater to the very end, Lucius spent his last breaths cursing his son for being a blood traitor and tainting the Malfoy blood line with filth, thus removing any doubt of his possible redemption. _

_Lucius is not the only person left angry at the news of Draco's child. After their return from Azkaban an angry and ringless Astoria was seen leaving the ministry followed stoic Draco. Daphne has confirmed that the engagement is off. While the possibility of Britain's most eligible bachelor being back on the market may excite many of my dear readers we are left to wonder who this woman is that captured the heart of our beloved Draco. _

_While there are many theories of why Draco rejected his father to join Dumbledore in the fight against You-Know-Who, we all know that my preferred theory is that he had fallen for a muggle girl. This news has given some credibility to my theory. Has Draco been hiding away a family in the muggleworld all this time, or has he merely found a way to break his betrothal contract with the Miss Greengrass? Does this woman know her son will be a wizard, or is she in for a big surprise when her child displays his first magic? I promise you my dear readers that I will not stop until I have answered these, and many more questions this news has given us._

Hermione's emotions were all over the place as she apprehensively read over the article several times. Draco's father had been executed last night for what she had assumed to be his role in the war. Draco had said this is how his life could have ended. It must have taken a great amount of courage to go against his own father. No wonder he got so angry at her accusations. The rest of the article did not put her mind at ease either. The author certainly had a flair for being dramatic. She did not want a reporter trying to dig into their lives and figure out what was between her and Draco. She did not even know what was between her and Draco. She was thankful that for the time being they still appeared to be anonymous.

"Mum, where is my charms book." Joshua asked from the side of the room, avoiding the mess that still cluttered the floor.

"Sorry," Hermione said, and without a hesitation as to what she was doing started to repair and levitate the room back together.

"Wow" she heard Joshua exclaim as the last item settled down on a shelf.

With a satisfied smile Hermione motioned Joshua to have a seat while she picked up the charms book from the coffee table. "So what do you need?" She asked.

"Father sent me a picture but we have to enlarge it, he said the spell we need is on page 34." Joshua said, holding up a framed photo the size of a stamp. Hermione could not help but smile. She was filled with gratitude towards Draco for his forgiveness and acceptance of them.

"Ok, let's see." Hermione said, picking up her wand from the table where she left it as she turned to the page and read. With a wave of her wand, and a new feeling of magic to categorize in her head, she enlarged the picture. There stood Draco in the photo before them, an amused smirk appearing on his face. Hermione hoped Joshua would not pick up that trait. He look younger than he is now, but older than when she knew him before. Hermione guessed his age to be about twenty in the photo. "You look like him you know."

Joshua glanced up from the photo, trying to hide a pleased smile from appearing. "You think so?"

"Yeah, obviously your hair is darker, but the way your nose, cheeks and jaw look is from him. It will become more obvious as you get older I think." Hermione said while looking him over. "He invited us to dinner tonight. Shall we go?" Hermione asked. This time her son could not hide the pleased smile from appearing on his face and he nodded his head in affirmation.


	6. Chapter 6 - That summer

_***Flashback: Hermione 16 years old***_

After her parents funeral Hermione had moved into her aunts home in Wiltshire. Her aunt had brought flowers to her room every day, and commented everyday how they had mysteriously wilted so fast. Hermione knew the real reason was her gloomy mood was killing the things around her. After a week, terrified that she would start killing something other than plants she began taking walks through the countryside. On her first walk she released all her pent up emotions. In her anger she killed an entire field of wild flowers. Reveling in the destruction around her she turned her anger to a nearby tree, she watched in fascination as the leaves turned vibrant colors before falling to the ground. Exhausted she fell to the ground, crunching the leaves beneath her. As the anger left her, and her heart rate came down she was horrified at the destruction around her. It was then that she knew she had to do something. Attempting to control her emotions was not enough. If she could learn to do her magic on command, perhaps that would prevent her from losing control.

Walking to the edge of her destruction, she found a flower that had just wilted, but not died. Remembering her first burst of magic was as a little girl, impatient at waiting for her rose bush to bloom, she had caused big beautiful blooms to grow before her and her mother's eyes. That was before, when the accidents were innocent fun. Back when her parents could laugh and enjoy her special powers. Before they became wary of her and her strange powers, rightfully so. Trying to concentrate on those happy feelings she closed her eyes and willed the flow to bloom and grow. Upon opening her eyes and seeing no change, she walked back to her new home, full of remorse.

Her walks grew longer with each passing day. She felt safer away from people she could hurt. Try as she might she could not preform magic at will, she was able to cause random destruction if she let her anger take control. Not the result that would make her safe to be around.

After a few weeks of walking she found a nice spot that she enjoyed coming to. There was a tree on top of a hill that provided a nice view of the countryside. And so a routine was established, she would spent half the morning walking to this spot attempting to control her magic as she went, took some comfort there while reading, and then walked home in the late afternoon. The isolation kept her away from anyone during the day, and she was too exhausted at night to cause any harm.

A month after she began her self-isolation she was startled from her reading as someone came stomping through the bushes nearby. Startled she saw a boy with striking blond hair fight his was free from a bush and march his was across the field. He was obviously worse for wear, his hair and clothing in disarray and covered with dirt. He had a deep cut across his cheek, and his clothing torn. It was odd to see someone wearing so much black in the middle of summer and the style of dress was unlike anything she had ever seen. The most bizarre thing though, was the broken broomstick he was carrying. It did not look like it would do much good cleaning a floor, and appeared to have footholds attached.

As he drew closer he noticed her under the tree. "What are you doing here?" He demanded with a sneer, his eyes angry and dangerous.

Hermione knew she should be afraid, but found she could not bring herself to care. "Reading." She answered with a shrug, holding the book up for him to see. Her expression was blank and uncaring.

He gave her one last dark look before he continued on his way, muttering to himself.

A few days later she saw him again. This time his clothing was impeccable but very out of place for the middle of the countryside. His hair look windswept despite the calm day, and the cut on his cheek was completely gone, she noted in confusion. He was carrying a new broomstick, walked right up to her and again asked "What are you doing here?" His tone still rude, but lacked the venom from the previous day.

"Reading." She replied again.

"You can read anywhere, why do it in the middle of nowhere?" He pressed.

Hermione ignored his question for a while, reading another sentence in her book, before she answering, "Avoiding people."

"Me too." He said, sitting down next to her. He brushed her elbow as he sat. With his touch a spark of familiarity washed over Hermione. She could not place what was familiar but it comforted her even amidst the bizarre situation and so she let him sit without complaint.

"Two books today." He stated picking up the book beside her.

"I just finished that one." She explained.

"Les Misérables," he read. "Never heard of it. Sounds depressing." Looking up to see Hermione's baffled expression, he asked, "What?"

"You've never heard of Les Misérables? Have you been living under a rock your whole life?" She questioned.

He looked as if he were going to give a snide retort but then just shrugged; ignoring the stares from the girl beside him he began reading the book. Hermione continued her stare for a few moments before returning to her book. And so they sat, in an odd sort of companionship, the only sounds were the birds chirping as they flew by and the turning of pages.

The blond eventually broke the silence. "I have to get back for lunch. I missed it the other day and don't wish to have my mother send out a search party if I miss it again."

"You can keep the book if you like." Hermione offered.

"Ok, thanks." He said, standing up and starting back the way he came, broom in hand.

"I'm Hermione by the way."

He stopped and turned, "Draco."

"Draco huh? That's a different sort of name." Taking in his raised eyebrows she laughed and smiled for the first time since her parents died. "I guess I'm not one to talk."

With an amused smirk he continued his departure.

He was waiting under the tree when she arrived the next day.

"This book is ridiculous." He stated as she approached.

"Why?"

"Over 50 pages, 50, were spent developing the character of the bishop, who as far as I can tell is not a major character in the book! I'm never going to get the time I spent reading that back."

"I would consider him a major character" Hermione defended, "he changed the course of Jean Valjean's life. Besides, no one said you had to read it."

"I didn't say I wouldn't read it, I just want my complaint acknowledged."

"Duly noted." Hermione said with a nod and sat down. He had the broomstick again, and was that actually a picnic basket beside him, Hermione thought to herself. "I see you brought lunch today."

"Yeah, I had one of the…" he trailer off. "Yeah, I brought some food, there is enough for you. It didn't look like you had any food with you yesterday."

"I have a granola bar in my pocket." She informed him, opening her book. Once again they read in their odd sort of companionship.

Draco was the one to interrupted their reading, "I'm hungry; do you want to eat something?"

"Sure," Hermione said, marking her page and putting down her book.

Draco reached into his basket and handed her a glass bottle with a thick orange liquid in it. It was still cold Hermione noticed. Eyeing the drink for a bit she eventually twisted off the cap and took a sip. "Wow," she exclaimed, "This is really good, what is it?"

"You've never had pumpkin juice before?" He asked and with a nervous laugh continued, "Now who is the one living under a rock?"

"No, I'm pretty sure pumpkin juice is not a common thing." Hermione countered.

Draco made no reply, his face going blank. He handed her a selection of sandwiches and fruits on a small plate. Not a paper plate as she would have expected, but fine china. She glanced over at him as he continued to dig through his basket. He was an odd fellow that was certain. But Hermione always felt odd herself, and never very good at making friends. The few friends she had made as a child eventually turned away when accidents happened, accidents that always involved her. Eventually she stop making an effort at making friends, and not many wished to befriend the accident prone, bushy haired know it all. She decided not to comment on his unusually behavior, he was the closest thing she'd had to a friend in a long time.

"So are you enjoying the book?" She asked.

"The plot is very good, once he gets around to moving it forward. Fantine's life seems horrid." After taking a bite of his sandwich he asked, "What are you reading?"

"The Hobbit." His carefully schooled features told her he once again had no clue what she was talking about, so she filled him in. "It's about a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins going on a quest with a party of dwarves to reclaim the dwarves treasure from a dragon. I like fantasy novels, elves, dwarves, wizards and such." The magic contained in the books made her feel a little less alone in the world she added to herself.

"So you like wizards?" Draco said suggestively.

"Not in that manner." Hermione said with a snort. "Wizards are commonly portrayed as old men with long grey beards, not exactly attractive."

"But they had to be young once."

Not sure how to reply Hermione just gave a small laugh and continued eating.

Draco joined Hermione most days. Hermione was impressed by him, not only was he reading a difficult novel, but he was able to have intelligent conversations, and sometimes arguments about the book. Hermione felt silly when she thought it, but everything seemed nicer when he was around. The ground seemed softer to sit on, the breeze did not blow her hair into her face, the sun filtering through the tree gave just the right amount of light; it was almost as if the world around her was content with her.

"Javert kills himself." Draco exclaimed one day.

"Yes he does, it's actually quite sad that he finally sees his faults and the only way he is able to deal with it is by killing himself. He couldn't accept Jean Valjeans mercy and kindness because it didn't fit in with the black and white world he believed in. He couldn't reconcile the fact that Jean Valjean was both an escaped convict and a good person."

"Do you think you could come to accept and see the good in someone you were raised to hate?" Draco asked, staring off into the distance.

"I wasn't raised to hate anyone, and considering Javert was born inside a prison shows he wasn't raised to hate convicts the way he did. But I'd like to think that I would stand up for what was morally right."

"Even if doing so made you stand against your family."

Hermione thought for a while before answering, "Yes, I think I would."

Draco was quite the rest of the afternoon.

The next day Draco was much later than usual. When he did arrive he looked exhausted. His voice was hoarse when he greeted Hermione.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"Yeah," he ground out as he sat, but then grimaced in pain while his body twitched violently.

"Oh my gosh, you are not alright, is there anything I can get for you?" Hermione asked her voice full of concern.

"No, nothing to do about it; I just need to wait it out until it gets better on its own."

"Ok, that's good, it would actually take me a couple of hours to get you something, but I would be happy to do it all the same."

"Thanks." Draco said wincing in pain as another wave of tremors overtook him.

"Come here," Hermione said, while pulling on Draco's arm.

"What are you doing?" He inquired, resisting her.

"If I can't do anything to stop the pain at least I can help to make you comfortable. Here lie down." Hermione said, patting her lap and motioning him to lie down. He did as she asked, body ridged. "Relax," she cajoled, rubbing his arm. He did, while closing his eyes.

"I lost your book." He admitted.

"That's alright, but it was your book, I gave it to you."

"Do you think you could tell me the rest of what happened?" Hermione did as he asked the discussions on what happened and the morals presented were more subdued than usual. As Hermione talked she began rubbing his arm to comfort him when he trembled, eventually leaving her hand there afterwards. By the time she was done reciting the rest of the novel her one arm was draped across his chest, the other was absentmindedly running her fingers through his hair. His pain seemed to be gone now.

"How is it you wear your hair slicked back, yet it still feels so soft?" She asked.

Looking up at her he replied, with a sly grin, "Magic."

Hermione rolled eyes, "It's getting late, I need to get going if I am to get back before it gets dark." She said as she noticed the sky start to change with the oncoming sunset.

Draco stood, offering his hand to Hermione to help her stand. After she was up, Draco kept a hold of her hand, causing her to look him in the eye. He was standing very close she noticed.

"I'm going to kiss you now." He whispered to her with an intense gaze.

She blushed, but held his gaze, "Ok," she replied in a small voice. He reached up and caressed her check and her eyes fluttered shut as he leaned down. His lips were soft and warm, the kiss was sweet, a perfect first kiss Hermione thought to herself. They smiled at each other when they broke the kiss.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Draco told her, and giving her another quick kiss, he turned to go. Hermione watched him go for a few moments, holding her fingers softly to her lips, a smile on her face. That day as she walked home she didn't feel the gloom that had filled her heart since her parents died. Pebbles levitated and then dropped back down as she passed. Concentrating on the energy she felt around her she focused it on a cobble in front of her, her excitement at watching it rise up before her almost rivaled that of her kiss with Draco. By the time she reached home, the light of the day completely gone, she could levitate small objects with ease and the pebbles around her stayed put, for the first time in her life she had managed to contain and focus her magic.


End file.
